Grace Knows Best
by DoctorDarkAngel
Summary: Grace walking in from school and immediately sending a glare in Danny's direction before going to her room and slamming the door wasn't an unusual thing in the Williams household as of late. Living with a teenager, Danny was learning, was like getting a new surprise every day. Today's surprise didn't seem like it was going to be a good one.


Grace walking in from school and immediately sending a glare in Danny's direction before going to her room and slamming the door wasn't an unusual thing in the Williams household as of late. Living with a teenager, Danny was learning, was like getting a new surprise every day. Today's surprise didn't seem like it was going to be a good one.

"Grace," Danny sighed as he gently knocked on his daughters door. "Honey. Everything okay?" He asked, slightly fearing her answer.

"I. You. Ugh!" Grace said, or attempted to say, as she jerked open her door to level Danny with another glare before turning and tossing herself, face first, down onto her bed.

Danny stood motionless, hand poised to knock again, his eyes wide in confusion.

"Okay, Grace, whatever it is, you're gonna have to do a lot better than that at telling me what's wrong. Is it Will? I thought you guys were doing good, all things winter formal-ish considered." Danny said as he stepped into Grace's room and sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Will and I are fine." Grace mumbled with her face pressed into a pillow.

"Okay, good. Great even. You have a fight with one of your girlfriends then? Maybe get a bad grade on a test? Grace honey, you gotta help me out here, okay? I'm a bit lost when it comes to girls and their um, problems." Danny winced at himself with his choice of words.

"Oh," Grace said in a huff, lifting her head and once again, glaring at Danny. "Its most definitely a guy problem."

Danny paused, seemingly stumped.

"But I thought you said things were good with you and Will?" Danny asked, puzzled.

"We are." Grace stressed. "He's not the guy I'm having a problem with."

Several horrible scenarios flooded Danny's mind at Grace's words.

"God, Grace, please please do not tell me that there is another guy, okay? I can't. My heart can not handle a second boy in my daughters life right now." Danny felt his chest tighten at the mere thought of it.

"What? Danno, no." Grace groaned, sitting up now and hugging her pillow to her chest. "There is no other boy. I promise. Its just Will."

Suddenly Danny could breathe again.

"Yes. Great. Thank you, Will. That's wonderful. Only one boy." Danny grinned. "But you said..."

"I said I had a guy problem. That doesn't mean its a boy problem." Grace said with a touch of humor in her voice.

"Okay. I'm completely lost, monkey. Can you please explain what you mean? Unless, I mean, you don't want to talk to me about um, guy problems. You can always call your mother and talk to her or maybe Kono can help out as I am not entirely equipped to deal with these types of situations." Danny rambled nervously as he raked a hand through his hair.

"Nope, Danno, I'd say you are more than equipped to deal with this issue, seeing as you are partly responsible for it." Again, Grace glared at her father.

"What? What did I do now? I haven't seen you all weekend so how could I have possibly done something to anger you this time?" Danny asked, huffing as he stood and began to pace, his arms waving wildly in the air.

"I think you and I need to have a talk, dad," Grace said sounding far too much like an adult for Danny's tastes. "Sit." She said, motioning back to the spot he'd just vacated.

Danny complied, too confused to do much else.

"What exactly are we discussing? And why are you calling me dad? I'm Danno. You only call me dad when you're upset with me. Oh." Danny said with a pout.

"Okay, first, I'm not upset with you." Grace stated, ignoring her father's eye roll. "I'm not. I'm frustrated because of something that happened all day at school today."

"And that's somehow my fault?" Danny asked.

"'Yes!" Grace exclaimed.

"What happened, Grace? Were kids picking on your because your dad embarrassed you in front of your new boyfriend? Is that it? Honey, I'm sorry but as a parent, that's my right." Danny insisted.

"No, Danno. Kids weren't picking on me because of MY boyfriend. They were doing it because of YOUR boyfriend." Grace said so calmly that Danny was sure he'd misunderstood her.

Danny felt his mouth drop open of its own accord.

"That's what I want to talk about. I wanna know why you didn't tell me that you and uncle Steve were together. Because, come on Danno, I'd think that after the last six years I might be the first one that gets to find out her dad has finally landed the man of his dreams." Grace ended in a whisper as she continued to eye the complete look of utter shock on Danny's face.

"Grace." Danny said, finally finding his voice. "What. I don't understand. I mean. What?"

"Dad. Literally everyone there heard you offer him a kiss when things were over. They saw the hug. Dad, you wrapped your arm around his as we were walking out! So of course the first thing I'm hit with this morning at school is questions about who my dad's hot boyfriend is and how long have they been together and what do I call uncle Steve now and I had no answers for anything because I didn't know!" Grace pouted up at Danny, her eyes wide with a hint of wetness in them.

"Grace. Monkey. Steve and I are not together." Danny finally said before moving forward to wrap his arms around his daughter. "Why would you. Why would anyone think-"

"Because you love him, Danno and even the kids at my school knew it after five minutes." Grace stated.

"And what if I do, honey? Doesn't mean your uncle Steve feels the same way. I've known him for almost seven years and its always been girls for him so, fine, I care about him but I refuse to make things that kind of awkward between us." Danny said with a sigh.

"Its because he's in love with you, Danno." Grace said like it was the truest of truths.

"Grace, baby, he's not." Danny was barely able to say before Grace was pushing him away from her and reaching for her phone. "What? Grace..."

"Hi, uncle Steve. Yeah, do you think you could come over to Danno's? No, he's fine," Grace pulled her best _see_ face at her father that she could. "I'm okay too. No, I just sort of need to talk to you about something. Its kind of important. Yes. Thanks, uncle Steve." Grace smiled as she ended the call. "He'll be here in twenty minutes which knowing him means it'll be closer to ten so, dad, you've got ten minutes to figure out how you're going to tell uncle Steve that you love him and want to have his babies." Grace grinned, laughing at her father when he seemed to choke on thin air.

"Grace, babe, you know-" 

"Of course I know that's not possible but its besides the point. You love him. He loves you. There is no reason you two shouldn't be together."

"Monkey, I can list about a million reasons why we shouldn't be together!" Danny exclaimed, eyes wide and arms already waving out in front of him.

"Fine. Name five." Grace challenged.

"Five. Name five, she says! Fine. Okay. I can name five. Ha. Just five. I could name five dozen." Danny ranted as he began pacing back and forth in Grace's room.

"I'm waiting." Grace said, motioning for him to go on.

"After I'm done naming all then ways that Steve and I as a couple would be a disaster, you and I are going to sit down and have a very long, very intense talk about this sudden onset adult like attitude you've developed recently." Danny glared at his daughter as he spoke.

"Sure, Danno. Whatever you say." Grace smirked at him.

"Fine." Danny snapped. "Reason one: he's reckless."

"Was, Danno. Even you've admitted he's been more careful lately than usual. And gee, I wonder why that is?" Grace questioned, raising an eyebrow at her father.

"Two: he's insane." Danny said.

"Which I have heard you say can sometimes be a good quality when it comes to catching the bad guys, Danno." Grace countered.

"Of course you remember that. Okay, three: he absolutely does not take my feelings into consideration. Ever. At all."

"That's a lie, Danno, and we both know it." Grace said, standing and walking out of her room.

"Shit. Fine. Of course it is." Danny mumbled as he trailed behind her. "Fine, okay, how about this, four: he-"

"Dad." Grace said from her place on the couch now. "Do you love uncle Steve? Answer me honestly. I'm not a little kid anymore. I have a right to know."

"Yes." Danny said a few seconds later.

"As more than just your best friend?" She asked.

"Yeah, monkey." Danny sounded defeated as he hung his head. "I do."

"Do you think uncle Steve loves you too?" Grace asked.

"Not that way, baby." Danny said softly.

Grace looked across the room from where her father stood to where uncle Steve was standing, just inside the doorway, a look of pure shock on his face.

"Why not?" Grace asked, eyeing her uncle.

"Because Steve doesn't, monkey, Steve's not. Christ." Danny said, running his hands through his hair again. "Steve's not like that, okay? We just went over how he only likes girls." Danny stressed, still not noticing Steve in the open doorway.

"Danno. Would you have kissed uncle Steve the other night, at the formal, if he'd asked for one?"

"In front of you and all your classmates, God and everybody else?" Danny chuckled. "Yeah, monkey, I absolutely would have."

"Why?" Grace asked, looking back and forth between her father and uncle.

"You know why, Grace." Danny said, slumping back against the chair he'd dropped himself down into.

"Humor me. Why would you have kissed uncle Steve?" She asked once again.

"Because I love him." Danny said and Grace turned a sharp look towards Steve.

"I love you too, Danno." Steve said, grinning when Danny jumped so hard in shock he nearly hit the floor.

"What? Steve! Grace? Oh my god, you and I are going to have an extremely long talk, young lady." Danny hissed.

"Whatever you say, Danno. Have fun with uncle Steve." Grace said with a grin as he tossed her hair over her shoulder and left the room.

Before Danny could say anything, he found himself with an armful of his laughing partner.

"Steve?" Danny said, unsure what his partner found so amusing.

"You just got duped by your daughter, Danny, its funny." Steve continued to laugh.

"Okay, babe, whatever you say." Danny chuckled before remembering what he'd just admitted moments before. "Shit, Steve, I-"

"No. Nope. No takebacks." Steve said with a grin. "You said it, I said it, it sticks."

"Oh, really?"

"Absolutely."

"So then, uh..." Danny trailed off, suddenly unsure of how to proceed.

"I meant it, Danno. I love you." Steve said with a smile.

"I know you do, babe but I'm thinking maybe you don't mean it how I do?" Danny sighed as he moved out of Steve's arms.

"Kinda think maybe I do, Danno." Steve insisted. "You're my best friend, Danny. For seven years now we've done this whole thing where we dance around each other but never admit what it really is. So it apparently took your teenage daughter to get you to admit it, so what? Doesn't make it any less true. I love you. I've loved you for years but Danny, I've been in love with you for almost as long." Steve smiled an almost shy smile and Danny felt his heart skip a beat inside his chest.

"In love with me? You're in love with me? What the actual fuck, McGarrett? Why didn't you say so before?" Danny exclaimed, pushing himself back into Steve's personal space.

"Why didn't you say something, Williams?" Steve countered, arms crossed over his chest in defiance.

"Oh god, we really are made for each other, aren't we?" Danny broke, laughing, as he gripped Steve's arms and leaned forward. "Still wanna pick a base, Steven?" Danny dared.

"Don't mind if I do, Daniel." Steve said as he leaned down and captured Danny's lips in what would undoubtedly be the first of many kisses.

"Finally." Grace whispered to herself with a grin as she turned back towards her bedroom.


End file.
